Holly . . . A Christmas Blog

I often drive up to London on Christmas Eve evening to see the lights. The roads are relatively quiet and so it’s easy to park and wander. A few years ago I began taking my partner’s granddaughter, Holly, with us.

The first year, as we drove up and down Oxford and Regent Street, she looked up in awe at the wonder of the lights. Eventually I parked and we walked to Leicester Square and the fair that is always there at this time. I was ahead and looked back to see a B-O-R-E-D little girl walking along seemingly endless and very dull back streets.

As we rounded that last corner into Leicester Square she saw the traditional Fairground, complete with 100 year old roundabout. The wide eyed wonder on that kid’s face as she dashed from one stall to another was, for me, a ‘Magic Moment’.

The following year we again took her up and this time, as well as the roundabout, she went on a stall where you had to get balls in buckets to win a prize. Because of her age she was allowed to stand on the ledge that went around the stall. She took careful aim with each ball but needless to say, they all bounced out. The sadness in her face was gut wrenching as I went to pick her up, adding a quick reassurance that we would return and try again later.

Just at that moment a voice boomed out “The little lady has another 3 goes” and the stallholder came over with the extra balls. Her little face lit up and she tried again but with equal results and again the sadness and near tears was a double whammy for me!

As I went to put her on the ground the voice boomed out again “The lady wins a prize” and the stallholder came over to her. “But I didn’t get any balls in” she timidly replied. “It’s Christmas darling. You don’t have to get a ball in to win a prize” he smiled. With that he bent down and produced a soft toy for her.

I picked her down off the ledge and the photo above is the image I captured within seconds of her standing with her prize.

There is not a single person on this beautiful Planet that will EVER convince me there is no such thing as ‘magic’ and how it visits us, if we allow it.

At this special time of year I try to cut out the growing commercialisation of the season and focus on the potential for magic . . . because it’s always there!

I have just recounted my ‘British’, ‘White’, ‘Spiritual’, ‘Male’ perspective of an event I will never forget – a piece of ‘magic’. What we can so easily forget is that events like this are playing out all of the time around the world, irrespectiveof race, colour, creed or gender.

This is my first year on Twitter and it has been an intense and exciting learning curve, with many mistakes (of course) and a sense of real satisfaction at what I personally have achieved. I have experienced the warmth of people, as well as the sometimes intense anger.

Above all however, I have entered an environment where people do not tolerate unpleasantness, something the outside world desperately needs, as well as making many new friends whose kindness and support have added another dimension to my life.

To ALL my new Friends, Followers and RT’s I hope the magic that I believe in finds you over the next week or two, in whatever shape it arrives and continues throughout your lives. We are all in this Life together, no matter what we are urged to believe, and our own magic is out there just waiting for each and every one of us, if we allow it!

My sincerest Best Wishes and Thanks to everyone for this incredible year. Let’s see what we can change in 2015!